Zhang Lei was quite excited to hear about the mission. According to the bureau's rules, such missions are rare, not to mention newcomers who haven't even completed basic training. These superhumans are more like nuclear weapons; they can't be left out, but they certainly can't be used frequently, especially in overseas operations.
While superhumans are powerful when fighting abroad, they cannot withstand being surrounded by multiple attackers for too long. After all, each superpower has a limited duration, and the energy required to activate a superpower also determines that they cannot fight for extended periods.
"You guys got off easy!" Zhang Lei didn't have the heroic spirit of not taking down his subordinates. While he was on the phone, he didn't forget to kick each of them, so he couldn't let them get up so easily.
"Don't let me see this next time!" Time was tight, and Zhang Lei didn't have time to press them about who had sent them. He hurriedly turned around and ran back to the training base.
Episode 3: The Bloody Path to Growth, Chapter 37: New Mission B - The Unexpected Protectee
In a corner, Gao Sanjiang peeked out from behind half his body. "Impressive, but I can't see anything particularly special about him!"
Zhang Lei rushed to the training base and happened to see Linghu Zaichong slamming a document in front of a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was unremarkable and would probably be unrecognizable in a crowd if you didn't know him well.
If there's any distinguishing feature, it might be his slightly sparse hair, but that's about it; it's nothing compared to the idea of local areas surrounding cities and local areas supporting the central government.
"Bald Qian! You want me to protect the Japanese? What are you thinking! Let me tell you, don't even think about it!" Linghu Zaichong's finger was already pressed against the middle-aged man's nose. Although his hair was only slightly bald, to these superhumans with their excellent physiques, he was practically bald.
"That's our branch's Deputy Director Qian. But that's how things are in the bureau. He's mainly responsible for external affairs and internal liaison work. He doesn't have much authority in the bureau!" Liu Yun explained softly to Zhang Lei.
"Linghu, listen to me!" Deputy Director Qian showed no sign of anger.
"What are you talking about? Don't you know that my grandfather's family line was almost completely wiped out by the Japanese? If I agree to your request, my grandfather will probably kick me out of the family tree! Let me tell you, although I, Linghu Zaichong, don't have a strong sense of right and wrong, I will never be a traitor!" Fortunately, Linghu Zaichong remembered that this bald man was just an ordinary person, so he didn't use any force, otherwise someone might have died.
As expected, Qian the Bald was also a little nervous. He was afraid that Linghu would forget this point, and there were already a few beads of sweat on the tip of his nose. "Well said, what we Chinese hate most is traitors. If there were no traitors, it wouldn't have been so easy for those little devils to come in back then!"
"So you still want me to become a traitor?" Linghu Zaichong turned around and punched a pillar hard. He was so angry that he was going to die if he didn't find a place to vent his anger.
"Among Chinese, those who betray their country are called traitors to the Han people. Shouldn't those among the Japanese be called traitors to the Japanese?" Deputy Director Qian said unhurriedly. "Linghu, you probably only looked at the content of your task in that document. You didn't look at the other reasons or anything else carefully. But even if you had, given your brain, you probably wouldn't have been able to figure it out!"
Linghu grabbed his collar and easily lifted him into the air. However, Deputy Director Qian did not seem flustered at all. He just let him lift him up, as if he were playing some special game.
"What are you saying? Be more specific, don't just give me half-hearted answers!" This is the kind of composure that only a leader of the Guoyi Branch could possess; other officials would never have such manners.
“Mei Chuan Neiku, a highly skilled Japanese technician, participated in the research and manufacturing of the latest generation of CNC machine tools. This means that he has mastered the manufacturing technology of precision machining tools that is nearly 20 years more advanced than China’s. If he can successfully defect to China, our country’s precision machining technology can at least take a leap forward!” Qian Tuzi opened the document in his hand and pointed out a line of text to Linghu Zaichong.
"China produces a lot of things, often ranking among the top in the world. But one reason is our large population base, and the other is that the proportion of high-end products is small. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you, you're just a muscle-bound guy. Put me down now!"
Deputy Director Qian seemed to only then notice Zhang Lei. "You must be Zhang Lei. You look pretty good. Don't be like those two guys who have self-reflection, all you have left are muscles!"
Linghu pushed his shoulder, "Stop talking nonsense, are you going to talk or not? I still don't understand!"
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it in complicated terms, so let me just say this: this guy is extremely important to our country. You must protect him intact, not only him, but also his twin daughters!"
"Since you're all here, I might as well tell you all at once. There's no other way but to send you on this mission. The other groups are either unavailable or geographically inconvenient. I don't know why they've been so busy lately. If the people we send aren't strong enough, there's nothing we can do. This is essentially fighting on away ground!"
Zhang Lei was also very uncomfortable about having to protect the Japanese. After all, he had grown up watching anti-Japanese war films. In his opinion, anyone who sided with the Japanese was definitely not a good person; they were traitors. This was the name Zhang Lei hated the most since childhood: Zhang He. Why did he have to have the surname Zhang?
"Our country has made great progress in many aspects since the reform and opening up, but the progress in precision machining is very limited. This is because developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan have very strict control over their precision machine tools and strictly control exports to our country. What we can get are products that are at least 20 or 30 years old. Unfortunately, our own research is progressing very slowly because we can't even find a reference. So we can only focus on increasing production volume!"
"Let me put it this way: if this operation goes smoothly and that Japanese traitor manages to memorize all the important parameters as he said, then our country's precision manufacturing industry can advance by at least twenty years, and it's not impossible for our GDP to increase by one percentage point as a result. And this is only the direct impact. Indirect impacts, such as in the military industry and aerospace, can also take a big step forward. It can be said that since the establishment of our National Defense Bureau, we have never encountered a mission with such a far-reaching impact!"
“Deputy Director Qian, since this Japanese man is so important, they must have treated him very well. Why would he think of betraying his country and defecting to us?” Zhang Lei raised his hand to ask.
Deputy Director Qian was quite satisfied with this young man who treated him with the respect due to a teacher. This was a treatment that was not available to people with superpowers. "Good question. Young man, you're very smart. You're nothing like your kind. Haha!"
"Stop teasing me, just tell me already!" Linghu Zaichong lightly slapped Deputy Director Qian, making him gasp.
"Mei Chuan Neiku, a native of Hokkaido, Japan, with no foreign ancestry, is 39 years old and a senior technician at XX Company in Japan! His wife died early, leaving behind two daughters, twins, and he has never remarried. This is what is stated in the materials. What follows is not stated in the materials!"
"This Japanese guy is quite the romantic. He never remarried after his wife died, and all his attention was devoted to his two twin daughters. But you all know the environment in Japan. It would be abnormal if these two girls weren't negatively influenced! One of them was doing compensated dating and tried to set a trap, but she accidentally caught the boss of a yakuza gang under the Black Dragon Society!"
"They call it 'fairy trap' in Japan too?" Linghu was quite surprised that Japan had such a Chinese-sounding term.
Episode 3: The Bloody Path to Growth, Chapter 37: New Mission C - Enemies Meet Again
"Nonsense, isn't this just to make it easier for you to understand? In short, this girl has bitten off more than she can chew. You all know the political situation in Japan. Many yakuza groups have close ties with members of parliament and the like. Although this technician is well-paid, he's not nearly as valuable to Japan as he is to us. He's far from being able to compete with that boss!"
"That gang couldn't tell which one was behind the honey trap, so they simply stopped trying and kidnapped both of his daughters, saying they were going to sell them to the Middle East. This guy couldn't get help in Japan, so he joined a tour group and came to China for help!" Baldy Qian looked around and saw that everyone looked expectant before continuing his story with a smug expression.
"This Mei Chuan Neiku is quite clever. His little bit of stuff is nothing in Japan, but in China it's many times more precious than diamonds. He couldn't bring the documents out, but he's got brains. He memorized almost all the technical parameters, which is quite impressive!"
Ideally, the more capable the personnel sent for this mission, the better. However, there wasn't enough time to transfer people from other places. That Japanese guy was currently in Shanghai, and Deputy Director Qian happened to be there on official business, which is why he got this assignment. But this is also an opportunity for him. It's conceivable that if this mission is successfully completed and achieves the expected results, it wouldn't be impossible for him to be promoted three ranks.
"The bureau has already decided that this time, even if it means a superpower war with Japan breaks out, we will not hesitate!" The bald man waved his arm forcefully.
"You are the first group to go to Japan. Your reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible. However, since the Japanese side seems to have realized the seriousness of the situation, flying may not be safe enough. Apart from you, the others will need to cross the border by boat, and you will also need to travel by water when you return!"
According to the information, Mei Chuan Neiku's two daughters, Mei Chuan Xiaoku and Mei Chuan Neiyi, have been kidnapped for more than two days. According to the usual pace of Japanese gangsters, they will soon be loaded onto a ship and transported to the Middle East.
The relationship between the Middle East and China is not like that between Japan and China. Sending superhumans to the Middle East could potentially impact the country's energy supply. Moreover, it is not easy to extricate those lecherous chiefs from their possessions through official channels.
More importantly, many buyers only transact within the Middle East, and it's hard to say where they'll go next. Moreover, many buyers have a penchant for torturing and killing female slaves. According to statistics, nearly 30% of the girls don't survive beyond the first day after being resold.
Therefore, the time was extremely tight. According to Mei Chuan Neiku, if anything happened to either of his two daughters, he would not want to live anymore, and naturally he would not betray his country before his death.
Vice Minister Qian received a phone call. "Your tickets are booked. Depart immediately. The flight is at 8 PM. Detailed information about the two Japanese girls will be given to you at the airport. Remember, this mission is of utmost importance. The mission is the top priority! Mei Chuan Neiku will be under military protection for the time being. In addition, a special forces unit from Shanghai will be operating with you. We hope you can cooperate."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Never mind, I'll take you to the airport. I can continue to explain some things in the car!"
Just as the group was about to leave, a slender girl walked in through the main gate. Tian Xiao's expression changed as soon as he saw her. "Zuo Ying, what brings you here!"
Zuo Ying smiled slightly at Qian the Bald, not even glancing at Tian Xiao, and naturally put her arm around Liu Yun's outstretched arm. "Deputy Director Qian, I happened to be near Shanghai and came over as soon as I got the news!"
Tianxiao immediately hooked Liu Yun's arm and pressed it firmly against his chest. Zhang Lei hadn't noticed it before, but compared to Zuo Yingyi, she seemed like a mistress who was throwing herself at him, and it just didn't look right.
Zuo Ying glanced at Zhang Lei meaningfully. Before Zhang Lei could figure out what she meant, Tian Xiao shouted, "Zhang Lei, be careful. She's from the Zuo family I mentioned before. Watch out for her."
Before Zhang Lei could react, Deputy Director Qian interrupted, "Regardless of any personal grudges you may have had, we must exert every ounce of our strength this time. We absolutely cannot allow any internal strife to occur. Let me make this clear: anyone who does anything detrimental to unity during this operation, and who jeopardizes the mission, regardless of the reason, will be guilty of serious treason, and the state will thoroughly eradicate their entire family!"